Part 22 (1/2)

”Hands up!” he snapped ”Drop that gun!”

The ansas a singular sound--half a choking cough, half a se weapon, and coincident with the tinkling of a splintered electric bulb

Instantly the hall was again drenched in darkness but little ht from the bedroom

Heedless of consequences, in his exciteer The hammer fell on an e any response other than the click ofbeyond question that the revolver was unloaded

Froue of flah; and a bullet thued beyond measure, he drew back his worthless weapon and threith all hisarer, this last involuntarily relaxed his grasp and, dropping his own pistol, stumbled and half fell, half threw himself down to the next floor

As this happened, a white arm was levelled over the shoulder of P

Sybarite

The woman took deliberate aim, fired--and missed

XII

THE LADY OF THE HOUSE

Until that moment of the woman's shot, ith the failure of P

Sybarite's weapon to fire and the strange,of the assassin's, an at less, had see of the fantastic quality of a nightmare: an effect to which the discovery of a marauder, where P Sybarite had expected to find nobody, added measurably

But now, teht blade of flaloom a hand's breadth from his eyes, and deafened by the crash of the explosion not two feet from his ear-drums, he quickened to the circumstances with much of the confusion of a man awakened by a thunder-clap frorim

Of a sudden he understood that e: a stark and hideous fact, jarring upon the seence hich hitherto he had been inclined to regard the unfolding of this night of _outre_ adventure Twice the ular weapon of silent deadliness--and both tiin

At once, like a de rage possessed P Sybarite Without the least hesitation he stretched forth a hand, snatched the pistol frorasp of the woh surprise than willingly--threw himself halfway down the stairs, and took a hasty pot-shot at the man--almost invisible in the darkness as he rounded the turn of the next flight

Missing, P Sybarite flung on recklessly As he gained the lower floor, the hall lights flashed up, switched on fro by the woliht, and checked to take a second shot

Again hewainscoting, a cry of alht, he hurled on, swung round to the head of the stairs, saw his man at the botto slipped on polished parquetry of the landing

P Sybarite's heels went up and his head doith a sickening thuain visioned a reeling fire constellations

Then--bounding up with uncommon resiliency--he saw the street door of the house close behind the fugitive and heard the heavy slaether, he was up and descending three and four steps at a stride Reaching the door, he threw it open and hih stone stoop to the sidewalk--pulled up, bewildered to discover hiht-hushed stretch between Fifth Avenue and Sixth: of the assassin there was neither sign nor sound

He felt perilously on the verge of tears--would gladly have bawled and hoith teained little relief fro halting and inexpert, truth to tell

Above him, on the stoop, the lady of the house appeared; paused to peer searchingly east and west; looked down at the trerown police tunic, shaking an ihed quietly to herself

”Coetaway